Lovely and True

Mother’s Day Tea (Part 2)

julie — Fri, 11 May 2012 23:01:50 +0000

Here is a video from the tea showing the sweet song the kids sang for their moms. Caleb had a not so little meltdown over some chocolate shortly after this and was not in the mood for pictures, so this blurry/shaky video and the mommy survey are truly the highlights and how I would like to remember the day. I love you anyways little buddy!

Mommy, mommy I love you.
Thank you for the things you do.
You are busy all day long,
Helping me grow big and strong.
Mommy, mommy I love you.
Thank you for the things you do.

Mother’s Day Tea (Part 1)

julie — Wed, 09 May 2012 22:34:18 +0000

I love going to visit Noah at his Pre-K class. He is just so excited to see me, and makes me feel so loved and so special to him! Wish I could bottle it all up and save it for the day he is in the thick of junior high awkwardness and is embarrassed to be seen with me. We were given a handmade paper corsage to wear, served strawberries and angel food cake, read a story about a mother’s unconditional love, and received lovely potted flowers. When we got home, Noah and I were sitting on the back patio, and I told him I was so glad I could come to his class today. He put his arm around me, looked me in the eye, and said, “Mom, I just can’t stop loving you.”

Looking forward to visiting Caleb in his class on Friday for another Mother’s Day Tea! One lucky Mama.

How do you know?

julie — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 20:20:12 +0000

Today at my mom’s group, our speaker was a lady named Barbara Tompkins. She has been one of my mom’s best friends for a long time, and her daughter Kate, was my very first best friend. She told us today that we should all go home and ask our kids how they know we love them. It’s a good way to find out what makes our kids feel loved the most. Here’s what I got:

Me: “Hey boys, how do you know that Mama loves you?”

Caleb: “Because God loves you, so you love me.”

Noah: “Because everyone just loves me!”

Some of my other favorite quotes from this morning…

“Who you are is more important than what you do.”

“Values are caught, not taught.”

“You are not your feelings, you are your choices.”

“Our job as moms is to make it easy for our kids to be good.”

“I love you too much to let you act like this, and I know you can make a better choice.”

She also recommended the book, Give Them Grace, which I am looking forward to reading.

I really treasure my time spent with other moms soaking in the wisdom of moms who are further down the road. I’m thankful for that today!

Easter 2012

julie — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:44:05 +0000

Noah (5) Lincoln (17 months) Caleb (3)

The boys had fun meeting their new cousin, baby Zoey. Caleb loved smelling her feet.

Cory’s family traditions for Easter include a piñata. As the boys are getting older, this is getting to be a really fun thing! Even Lincoln got in on the action.

Of course we had lots of egg hunting…

Love how excited Noel is about her eggs! I also love Lincoln’s chubby little wrists :0)

Lincoln takes a little break…

It’s the easter bunny!

Trying out their new silly straws.

Noah’s April memory verse: “That Christ died for our sins and He was buried, and He was raised on the third day, just as the Bible says.” 1 Corinthians 15:3,4

Noah’s First Team

julie — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 03:21:33 +0000

We are so excited around here because Noah is on his first sports team ever! Soccer season is in full force, and Noah is having a great time learning how to play. Here are some highlights from his first couple of games.

Noah is so in love with the idea of being a “soccer player.” He’s watched his aunt Kaelyn play so many times, and its finally his turn! When I told him I signed him up for soccer, he said, “Oh I already know how to play. I just need some of those special soccer clothes.”

Of course it helps to have a whole row of your own personal fans…

Little pre game prayer…

And the action begins…

Noah even got to play goalie today. Here his coach is saying, “Now you stand here and wear this hot, itchy long sleeved shirt, and protect this goal!” (or something like that)

How we keep Lincoln off the field.

(Thanks for the pictures, Nana)

Oreo Ice Cream Cake

julie — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:11:05 +0000

I forgot to post a picture of this cake I made for Cory’s birthday. It was chocolate cake with cookies and cream ice cream. I’ve made an ice cream cake before, but what I liked about this recipe is that you frost the cake and ice cream layers with softened vanilla ice cream mixed with a little milk. So much easier than real frosting. I didn’t follow her recipe exactly, but it did help to have some tips before I got started.

Rodeo Day

julie — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:00:17 +0000

Noah’s been sick with croup, but he’s doing better now and I was so glad to be able to send him to school for Rodeo Day. He dressed up as a sheriff, but by the time I came and took pictures, he had ditched the costume.

These are pics my friend sent me of Noah still wearing his costume. Love these boys!

Twins

julie — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 20:51:26 +0000

Today Noel came over to play, and I got to see what it would be like to have twin 16 month olds. And it was really fun, probably because it was only for a few of hours and I really had nothing to do but watch them play!

They liked sitting in chairs watching Baby Praise…

The ball machine made them giggle…

Isn’t she just so sweet?

Pound Cake With Strawberries and Cream

julie — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 01:18:38 +0000

I really can’t even call this one a recipe. It’s not even semi-homemade… It’s just really easy, and really good. Costco makes the best pound cake in their bakery. It is sold in a three pack and is called “All Butter Loaf”. And that it is! Layer the pound cake with freshly whipped cream, and sliced strawberries. I love this for a crowd because you can make it ahead of time, and it looks pretty served in clear classes. I use the rim of the glass to cut the pound cake into circles. Freeze extra loaves of pound cake for later use.

Whipped Cream

Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

Directions
In a large bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks are just about to form. Beat in vanilla and sugar until peaks form. Make sure not to over-beat, cream will then become lumpy and butter-like.

Balsamic Butter Penne With Roasted Red Peppers

julie — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 01:07:39 +0000

From Food & Wine, “Simmering the balsamic vinegar both mellows and thickens it. When tossed with the hot pasta and the butter, it forms a smooth, uniquely flavored sauce.”

My family loved this dish. We substituted the red peppers for the asparagus because we had it on hand, and also added some thinly sliced grilled steak (from last night’s dinner). I also added toasted pine nuts and a handful of baby spinach at the end. You could use whatever veggies your family likes, and it would also be really good with grilled chicken. Recipe here.